So you want to be a special education advocate? What do you need to learn? What skills do you need to acquire?
Here are three essential things you need to do:

Expose yourself to advocacy opportunities

Learn about special education, law and advocacy

Practice, practice, practice advocacy skills

Expose Yourself to Advocacy Opportunities

The best way to become a good advocate is by exposure. If you wanted to catch the flu, you would hang out with folks who had the flu. If you want to become a good advocate, hang around with folks who do advocacy work.

Learn about Special Education, Law and Advocacy

Read everything you can find about special education, disabilities, and how children learn.

Remember that law is always changing. What you read today may change tomorrow because of decisions in due process hearings, appeals, and by courts. State complaints may clarify portions of the special education law. You need to spend time if you are to stay current on the the changes in law.
Join Organizations & Attend Conferences

Join at least three organizations or information groups. Many organizations have great state and national conferences. There are often special sessions for advocates at these conferences.

Most organizations publish state and national newsletters for their members. Newsletter editors are always looking for fresh content. After you've read a few issues, offer to write an article for a newsletter.

The first step in the Game Plan was "Expose Yourself to Advocacy Opportunities." You need to link up with other advocates in your state or city. You'll find advocates listed on the Yellow Pages for Kids website for your state.

Volunteer to Help

Try to hook up with a special education parent attorney. Offer to help the attorney (for free) prepare cases for due process hearings and IEP meetings. If you do this, you will learn so much about how to be a good advocate. You will also learn about things you can do that will jeopardize a good special education case.

You will begin to view your advocacy cases from a different perspective. You will understand why you always need to prepare every case as though it will end up in a due process hearing.

Practice Your Advocacy Skills

In addition to learning information, you need opportunities to practice advocacy skills. Offer to go to IEP Team meetings with parents. Offer to be a friendly face at the table. Assure the parents that you will not say anything unless they ask for your input.

Explain that you are trying to learn - and the best way to learn advocacy skills is by going to IEP Team meetings. When you go to IEP meetings for other children, you do not have the same emotional reaction as when you attend an IEP meeting for your child. You are more objective.

You will see the games people play. You will see that parents wear "buttons" and that some school personnel know how to push these buttons. In time, you will be able to prepare parents so they do not become overtly emotional or angry when someone tries to push their buttons.

You will also learn about the players, their roles, and their personalities. You will recognize their tactics and strategies more easily because you are not emotionally involved.

So you want to be an advocate?

What are the three things you need to do?

Meet Pat Howey

Pat
Howey has a B.A. in Paralegal Studies from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College where
she graduated with honors.